Chronic illnesses such as depression, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes cost organizations big dollars in declining productivity, as well as soaring drug costs and claims for short- and long-term disability. It’s a problem many employers are addressing with an “ounce of prevention” approach, seeking to manage the impact of chronic diseases by improving employee health and wellness.
Working hard at healthy living
“Chronic disease is expensive for employers, but there are opportunities to make a difference,” said Chris Bonnett, president of H3 Consulting at the 2012 Solutions in Drug Plan Management Conference. “Studies estimate that 40% to 70% of the cost of chronic disease can be avoided through lifestyle change, and, as you peel away the health risks, the costs come down.” Citing Seven More Years, a 2012 study by the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Studies (ICES) and Public Health Ontario, Bonnett said that by managing five risk factors (smoking, alcohol, diet, physical activity and stress), Canadians could add 7.5 years, on average, to their lifespan and gain almost 10 years of better quality of life.
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Employers are seeing the necessity of promoting healthy lifestyles at work. As Bonnett points out: “demographic and competitive pressures, combined with rising chronic disease rates, mean that a healthy and productive workforce is a strategic business issue worthy of executive attention.”
“Health is a performance driver,” he says—an important one that employers can directly affect with targeted and thoughtful workplace wellness strategies.
Making the case for health management
Dr. Alain Sotto, chief physician at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), presented conference attendees with a compelling case study in chronic disease management.
OPG identified five major disease states—mental health disorders, cardiovascular-related disorders, diabetes/ metabolic syndrome/obesity, cancer and musculoskeletal disorders—that cost the company more than $17 million in medical absence and drug costs in 2010.
“Safety is enshrined at OPG: it’s who we are and part of our corporate culture,” said Sotto. “However, the emphasis now also includes a health and safety policy that includes the mental and physical well-being of employees.”
OPG implemented a four-pronged employee wellness program in 2010 to tackle chronic disease through education, engagement, enablement, and empowerment of employees. Between 2010 and 2011, mental-health sick days dropped by 16%, those related to cancer fell 9%, and those related to diabetes/metabolic syndrome/obesity increased by 4%, likely because new diabetics were diagnosed with OPG’s biometric screening programs. The wellness initiative also reduced total drug costs by $323,437. Further savings are expected as OPG’s wellness program expands.
The effects of chronic disease present a huge challenge. But by getting promoting wellness in the workplace, employers can better manage costs—and have healthier, more productive employees.
Says Sotto, “If we can save one life, it is worth the cost of prevention.”